Help families discover how Out-of-School Time Programs offer safe, enriching student experiences. They go beyond childcare, providing exciting learning opportunities that boost skills and knowledge.
This video is designed to help families and caregivers discover the numerous benefits of Out-of-School Time Programs, including before and after-school programs, clubs, extracurricular activities, and summer and school break camps. It highlights how these programs offer safe and supervised childcare and provide enriching experiences that foster learning and personal growth.
The APS Clothing Bank is an incredible tool many of our families do not know how to access. For example, the clothing bank can also help students with school supplies. By sharing this video with your community, we can increase referrals and donations to the Clothing Bank, assisting every child in showing up to school prepared and ready to learn. Share this every year at the start of school and during winter, as the clothing bank has jackets and hoodies for children in need.
Did you know that the number of families responding to the Quality of Education survey is part of your school’s performance? One great way to better represent your community and get those survey numbers up is to share a video and your message about why this survey is so important. Many families don’t know why the survey is essential and how APS uses the study to make critical financial decisions. Consider sharing this video in the spring with the survey announcement, and provide a follow-up thanking families for their participation.
The earlier a family puts their transfer in for the next school year, the better their chances of getting transferred to the school of their choice. Please share this video with your families before winter break and mid-December so students and parents can prepare themselves to be ready to transfer before January 1st.
ParentVue is a quick and easy-to-use app that is your one-stop place for getting information about how your child is doing in school and reaching out to their teachers. Find out all of the ways you can use ParentVue to guide your child's educational success, stay ahead of any issues, partner with teachers, and ask your child specific questions about what they are learning. Thanks for all you do to help your child learn and succeed.
How much time does your school staff spend helping families with ParentVue every week? This video is a step-by-step walkthrough of how to open an account. Often just sending this to a family struggling with the process can answer all their questions.
It’s easy to forget passwords! We all do it, and families are no different. This quick video shows families how to reset passwords to get back into their accounts without your help.
Once families have an account and know how to reset their password, they can watch this video which takes them step-by-step through how to use ParentVue. Our host showcases each function in ParentVue and provides context and examples for when and how to use each part. The video shows families about account settings and how to update their email and phone numbers. These videos help families set up, master, and use ParentVue and understand it’s a great first step in engaging with their child’s education.
Does your school use Synergy Mail to send messages to families and find that many families don’t reply? There is a chance that families are missing these messages because they don’t know how or why to use Synergy mail. This quick training encourages families to check their inboxes and gives ideas for the best ways to communicate with the school or their child’s teacher.
One of the most frequently asked questions families have is how their child is doing in school. Families can get many of their questions answered in ParentVue. If we work with families to help them use this tool, we can save time and energy in the schools. Checking grades and assignments is easy in ParentVue if they know how. When we empower families to use ParentVue as the first stop to answer questions, we build their capacity to stay informed in their child’s education, support them from home, and have a better relationship with school staff. So don’t wait! Add this video about how to check grades to your website, send it out in a newsletter, or give it to a family today.
As educators, we already know that every day of school attendance matters. Families need to understand how vital it is for their children to be present in school every day. They also need tools to check attendance and report absences. This video is an excellent tool for showing families how to use ParentVue to check attendance. We hope you will share this with everyone in your community.
What is Social and Emotional Learning? As educators, we all know it is a complex set of skills that support whole child development. But families often struggle to understand what we mean when we say "Social and Emotional Learning." You can use this video individually with a family whose child is struggling with some SEL aspects or can host an event where you discuss the school’s efforts around this subject. It’s a great way to help families understand that school is so much more than tests and grades and help them implement SEL practices.
Just in time for summer, we have made a few videos to help support SEL learning. This activity is made just for your elementary school student.
Social and emotional learning, or SEL for short, is all about teaching children social and emotional awareness. These are skills that you can practice with your child at home and in this video; we will discuss several ways that you can engage with your child to help with SEL. We will go over several ways of speaking with your child to increase social and emotional awareness in every day situations. We hope that you enjoy this video and that it helps to demonstrate the value of social and emotional learning in your home.
Just in time for summer, we have made a few videos to help support SEL learning. This activity is made for your middle school student.
Social and emotional learning, or SEL for short, is all about teaching children social and emotional awareness. These are skills that you can practice with your child at home and in this video; we will discuss several ways that you can engage with your child to help with SEL. We will go over several ways of speaking with your child to increase social and emotional awareness in every day situations. We hope that you enjoy this video and that it helps to demonstrate the value of social and emotional learning in your home.
Just in time for summer, we have made a few videos to help support SEL learning. This activity is made just for your highs school student.
Social and emotional learning, or SEL for short, is all about teaching children social and emotional awareness. These are skills that you can practice with your child at home and in this video; we will discuss several ways that you can engage with your child to help with SEL. We will go over several ways of speaking with your child to increase social and emotional awareness in everyday situations. We hope that you enjoy this video and that it helps to demonstrate the value of social and emotional learning in your home.
You may know that if a student misses one day of school, it takes three days for them to catch up, but do your families know this? It’s so important that every child attends school every day! This video is a great way to communicate the importance of being in school every day, whether you’re in Kindergarten or 12th grade! Consider using this video at an open house or in a newsletter with a message from your staff telling families how much you value teaching their child every day.
Are chaotic mornings at your home leading to tardy slips and stressed students? Our latest video offers a streamlined approach to transform hectic starts into smooth, on-time arrivals at school. This is especially important so students get to school on time and ready to learn.
When to Use this Video:
Timing is everything, and this is especially true for building successful school-day routines. Our video is designed to be a year-round resource, ideal for:
The Start of the School Year: Set a positive and punctual tone from day one.
Time Changes: Adjust to daylight savings or new school schedules seamlessly.
Post-Break Resets: Help students return to their routines after holiday or summer breaks.
Routine Refreshers: Anytime students' existing morning habits need fine-tuning.
This video is a versatile tool in your educational arsenal, ensuring that no matter the time of year, your students can benefit from a consistent, effective morning routine.
Idea for a blog or social media post:
Are mornings a mad rush at your house? With school schedule changes, getting to school on time is more crucial than ever. If you've ever felt that morning chaos that can lead to tardy slips, we'll walk you through some tips to get your family's morning on the right track.
Disenrolling a student to make the transition to a new school doesn't have to feel overwhelming. Our latest video demystifies the disenrollment process, ensuring families navigate this crucial step with ease and confidence. Understanding the importance of disenrollment is key to ensuring your student's journey to their next educational adventure is smooth and seamless.
When to Use this Video:
Disenrollment might seem daunting, but it's an essential part of the school transition puzzle. Our video serves as a valuable guide throughout the year, particularly beneficial for:
Planning a Move: Equip families with the knowledge to tackle the process before the chaos of moving starts.
End of the School Year: Perfect for families considering a change for the upcoming year.
Introduction to New Administrators: A tool for administrators to familiarize themselves with the nuances of student transitions.
Family Engagement Events: Ideal for workshops or meetings focusing on student transitions.
This video is not just a resource; it's a roadmap for families and educators alike, ensuring that every student's departure from one school to the next is acknowledged, celebrated, and properly managed. Encourage families and staff to watch and share this video to support students during their educational journey transitions.
Certain vaccines or an exemption are required for children to attend APS. Families need to keep their children’s vaccinations up to date and communicate their vaccination status with the school nurse. This video is a great tool to remind families how to keep their children up to date and report that information. This video is a great message to send over the summer or during back to school, so families can schedule appointments before classes start. You could also send this video as a helpful reminder to families who haven’t updated their child’s immunizations.
Is your school a Title 1 school? If so, this is a great video to share with your families to inform them about all the opportunities they have to partner with your school to meet your Title 1 requirements. It encourages families to partner with you to make decisions that affect their children’s education. Consider showing this video at any Title 1 events in your school and sharing it with families at the beginning of every year.
We all know how vital the Free & reduced Meal application is for so much more than just our children’s lunches. It supports our schools and district with essential data and brings added funding to help us even the playing field for our students living in poverty. Yet, many of our families see it as burdensome paperwork and don’t fill it out. Consider using this video every fall to help families understand why the application is so essential and how to fill one out.
If you have a family that is new to this country and want to give them an idea about what a school day looks like for their child. The video goes through some of the main things that happen throughout the school day and answers common questions about what to expect. They'll learn about school calendars, dress codes, starting and ending times, alarms and bells, and more. There are also some tips for families about how to help their children with school and learning. By using this video, you can make it easier for our new families to understand our school culture and make them feel more at home.
No matter where you came from or what language you speak, you are family when you are a part of our APS. Did you know that families and students speak over 80 languages? Help set an inclusive tone by sharing this powerful video with our community. No matter our families’ background, they need to know that “WE ARE APS!”
Start your school year off with a big language inclusive welcome to our families! It is so important for our families to feel welcome in our schools and set the tone for them to partner with us around their children’s education. When families are involved, graduation rates increase! So don’t wait! Today is a perfect time to welcome our community to your school and let them know they are our partners!
Even before the pandemic, children were online more and more. Now it tends to be an essential part of their learning and free time. This video encourages families to have meaningful discussions with their children and to establish safety practices at the relevant ages. It’s always a good day to encourage families to talk with their children about online safety but consider sharing this February 8, during Safer Internet Day.
Many families have to make the tough decision to leave their children home alone. This video was made to support families and offer them advice about when and how to make this choice safely. Consider sharing this video with working families of middle schoolers and before long breaks, including summer, with your families.
Bullying is a reality in our schools, and we need families to understand what is and what isn’t and how they can address it so they can partner with us to prevent bullying. This video can be an excellent tool for starting a conversation with families about this tricky subject and asking for their partnership in coming up with solutions.
Communication is crucial to student success. This video series breaks down the Restorative Conversations technique for having productive conversations with children. Even though the term Restorative Conversations sounds complicated, this video provides a quick process for everyone who wants to learn how to communicate with their child or another adult better. Plus, it sets the tone for how families can help their children fix their conflicts with others. Consider sharing this with families with children struggling to communicate or in a PD with your staff. These tools are powerful!
Part 2 of the Restorative Conversations series dives deeper into this practice and uses a roleplay to demonstrate it. We highly recommend sending both videos in the series to your families or sharing them with your staff. Even if we don’t see students or families use the actual practice, the videos still open the door to discussion about how we communicate with each other and are a valuable use of time for families and staff.
We all know testing can be stressful! However, it is a natural part of the learning process! In this short video, we will highlight some simple steps for parents to use to ease their children's minds with preparation and put them into the right mindset. Consider sharing this video with parents before significant tests or with individual parents who have children experiencing "Test Anxiety."
As educators, you know how important it is to set a schedule. Developing a program is one of the best ways to help your child succeed long-term and accomplish daily goals. This video covers how to support your child in creating and sticking with their schedule. Consider including this video in an event where you can work with families to set a schedule or send it directly to parents with children who may be having issues sticking with a program. This video pares great with “Teaching Your Child How to Set Goals.”
This video gives families some helpful tips on creating a learning environment from home. These tips support families in developing productive working spaces and schedules for their children. Consider sharing this content when you assign big work-from-home projects or when students learn from home.
As educators, you know how important it is to set goals. When we set our sights on a plan and break it into tasks, we create a path to success. This video helps families work with their children to set goals and use manageable steps to track and reward their child’s progress. Consider including this video in an event where you can work with families to develop a learning goal for their child for the rest of the school year or with individual families who have a student struggling to set goals.
We know that even a quick activity break helps children learn. It’s important to keep both students’ bodies and minds healthy. Help families remember this important idea over holidays or long weekends by sharing this video with them!
It’s always a good time to help families teach their children about these important financial lessons. Consider offering a financial literacy series for families and show them a video followed by a discussion about the next steps to support their financial goals.
You probably already know that back-to-school shopping costs are almost as much as holiday spending? For families to plan and engage their kids in the process, Families Connected and Nusenda have teamed up to give you some tips on planning back to school and ways to save money.
Holiday spending is often a budget-buster once you think about the cost of presents, wrapping paper, cards, decorations, a family meal, giving back to the community, and even travel. This video uses holiday spending as an opportunity for families to teach kids to “Spend a little, Save a little, Give a little!”
Part of financial literacy is understanding different types of banking businesses and how they can support you and your money. This video offers families great tools for money management and how being wise with your money can help their children.